Court hitch as Jackson goes to hospital

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Randy Jackson arrives at the hospital to visit his brother MichaelPhoto: AFP

Pop star Michael Jackson has been admitted to hospital, forcing
the judge in his child molestation case to delay the jury selection
process for his trial.

Jackson, who faces 20 years' jail if convicted of molesting a
13-year-old cancer patient at his Neverland ranch, reportedly
started vomiting on his way to court. He was admitted to the Marian
Medical Centre in Santa Maria, California, where a doctor said he
was suffering from a "flu-like illness, with some vomiting".

However, observers immediately began to speculate: was this a
stunt designed to delay the start of the trial or win sympathy from
jurors? Jackson, 46, has previously used the courtroom for
theatrics.

In 2002, when the singer was sued for cancelling a concert, he
turned up for court on crutches, saying he had been bitten by a
spider. He has also gone to court in a surgical mask. The judge
ordered him to remove it, and when he did, the jury gasped. The tip
of Jackson's nose, which he admits to having altered with surgery,
was barely there.

Jackson's lawyer, Tom Mesereau, told the judge in the child
molestation trial that the singer was "very ill".

Judge Rodney Melville decided to trust him, but also verified
the information. He rang the hospital and spoke to Jackson's
doctor. He then returned to court to say: "Mr Jackson is very ill
with the flu."

A spokesman for the hospital, Dr Chuck Merrill, said Jackson was
in a stable condition and "we expect a full recovery".

The trial will resume next week. By then, a second documentary
about Michael Jackson by journalist Martin Bashir, will have gone
to air.

Bashir, who made an earlier documentary in which Jackson
admitted sharing his bed with children, is set to release The
Secret Life of Michael Jackson which is said to contain
"disturbing claims" about Jackson's "unusual friendships with
children."